Powell, 2-24-01: No significant WMD capability

[tableturner]

He knew before 9/11 that there was no significant WMD capability. Shouldn't this shut up those who say that Bush did not lie, but was simply a victim of bad intelligence? Word for word quotes of Colin Powell's remarks, February 24, 2001, directly from the State Department's web site, BEFORE 9/11, at a point in time before the Bush administration thought they could use the attacks of 9/11 as a pretext to attack Iraq, thus also at a point in time without motivation to exaggerate or mislead relative to evidence about WMD:

http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2001/933.htm

"We had a good discussion, the Foreign Minister and I and the President and I, had a good discussion about the nature of the sanctions -- the fact that the sanctions exist -- not for the purpose of hurting the Iraqi people, but for the purpose of keeping in check Saddam Hussein's ambitions toward developing weapons of mass destruction. We should constantly be reviewing our policies, constantly be looking at those sanctions to make sure that they are directed toward that purpose. That purpose is every bit as important now as it was ten years ago when we began it. And frankly they have worked. He has not developed any significant capability with respect to weapons of mass destruction. He is unable to project conventional power against his neighbors. So in effect, our policies have strengthened the security of the neighbors of Iraq, and these are policies that we are going to keep in place, but we are always willing to review them to make sure that they are being carried out in a way that does not affect the Iraqi people but does affect the Iraqi regime's ambitions and the ability to acquire weapons of mass destruction, and we had a good conversation on this issue."

[NewJeffCT]

1. Rice

Dr. Rice had a similar quote a few months later... what a tangled web we weave.

[teryang]

2. Oops! There is it is!

Proof of fraud and bad faith.

[Hippo_Tron]

3. I think Powell opposed the war until the administration made him shut up

Powell has actually been in the military and thus knows that a war is not just playing with toys, unlike some people *cough Rumsfeld and Whoreowitz *cough. Of course he started muttering their bullshit after they told him to shut up. Thus I've lost respect for somebody I might've had some respect for in the past.

[lovedems]

4. This confirms what O'Neill was saying. Powell wanted to enforce the

sanctions against Iran. I saw the former ambassador to Iraq speaking on PBS last night and he stated the Clinton administrations plan was to impose the sanctions, knowing that the Iraqi people would "suffer" (I am not sure if that is the exact word he used) but the sanctions would cause the Iraq's to revolt against Saddam and the US and UN would assist. The point being, democracy would come from the bottom up, the way democracy is suppose to start. It doesn't start from the top down. That is imposed democracy and that is an oxymoron.

He didn't say if he thought that was a good or bad idea from Clinton but was mainly criticizing bu$h for what he has done to Iraq. Imposing democracy on Iraq WILL NOT WORK ANYTIME SOON was his point.

[maggrwaggr]

5. So how much of a smoking gun does the media need?

Apparently George Bush could be screwing a retarded 12 year old hemophiliac on the 50 yard line of the superbowl and the media would say that it was good for the boy, and the boy was better off because of it. And 70% of Americans would agree.

[teryang]

6. He's their man

As soon as interviewed guests say something positive about a democratic candidate they are cut off. Why ask repuke apparachiki about the character of democratic candidates. These pukes get more air time than democrats on the subject of democratic campaigns. WTF is up with that? Facist corporatist press campaigns for the unelected regime 24/7. Campaign finance laws are rendered moot.